Thursday, March 31, 2011

I'm pretty excited about Cris Rose' new mech design Rostrum. One of his more traditional robot designs that evokes Big O immediately with the giant arms. Better be quick...! Only 10 made for now. Goes on sale at 10am tomorrow morning...!

Rostrum was built to fill a gap in the market, the need for a medium-sized bot with a lot of grunt. For most small businesses, a flock of Sprogs was usually adequate to achieve most heavy duty tasks, known as they were for working hard and sharing the load between them. Even large industrial scenarios found this setup ideal, especially when supported by the odd Rotund and Runcible units. Installing Sprogs directly into heavy-lift bodies became a popular choice for the largest factories and recycling companies, but the incredible cost of these custom built mechanisms proved too great for those smaller outfits that needed more punch per tonne.

Designed around the same core as Rotund, the focus of Rostrum's 5 foot frame was on power and robustness. Equipped with 2 huge, interchangeable arms and a thick, armour-plated body, this bot was slow, yet purposeful. The standard model featured a reinforced head that could be used as a battering ram when thrust forward, a feature specifically requested by the emergency services, should the ideal route be through a wall. Manufacturing looked for greater accuracy and control when moving heavy components, so the multi-spectral optics of the precision alignment head was a popular choice. The 3rd standard head choice was the classic holo-projection unit that many had become used to on other models, preferring it for it's familiarity and wide range of applications.

However the situation that placed him so fondly in the public eye, was also the least expected. The largest global chain of nightclubs suddenly replaced their entire staff of bouncers with Glossy black Rostrum at every one of their 700 venues. When they weren't terrifying troublemakers before ejecting them bodily, they were doing what everyone had really come to see, breakdancing in formation on specially reinforced iron dancefloors.